The Curious Case of Gemini

Last night I was surfing around on Soundcloud and came across the set below from Spencer Kincy aka Gemini and I was reminded that he mysteriously disappeared around 2000-2001.

Spencey Kincy (sometimes spelled Kinsey) aka Gemini first rose to prominence with several smashers on Cajual/Relief in the 90s before releasing his full length album, In and Out of Fog and Lights, for Peacefrog records. His contemporaries, Derrick Carter, DJ Sneak, and Luke Solomon have all credited him as an inspiration in house music and a guiding force for them.

I became familiar with Spencer because he was a frequent headlining guest of the Hazy Daze crew in Dallas and even released a track on their label, Fair Park, called Mr. Foxtrot. The rumor goes that at some point in the late 90s he moved down to Dallas and bunked with the Hazy Daze guys under the auspices of recording more music. He then, allegedly, cleaned out their studio, pawned off their gear, and disappeared back to Chicago.

This article from 2009 by Terry Matthew seems to indicate that the last anyone heard from Gemini was in 2000 when he made a move to the Bay Area. That move seems to coincide with his last release, The Music Hall, on Cyclo Records.

From the article:For many years, there have been rumors circulating about what happened to Spencer. He made a well-publicized move to the Bay Area prior to 2000, giving Chicago – or at least some people in the industry back home – a kiss-off with the acrid track “Swimmin’ Wit’ Sharks“. And so far as anyone knows what happened, that’s when something went terribly, terribly wrong.

Gemini was back in Chicago not long after, minus his studio equipment, his DJ gear, or any visible means of support. To the few he encountered, he didn’t seem himself. He cut almost all ties, even with people who had known him for years. On one occasion when he was recognized, he vowed revenge on a couple of well-known Chicago House Music producers who he claimed had stolen his music from a laptop. At the time, according to someone who talked with him, he was panhandling – staying in an SRO (Single Room Occupancy) when he had a good day, a shelter when he didn’t.